A co-clinical platform to accelerate cancer treatment optimization.

Sophistication in DNA and RNA sequencing technology is unraveling the tremendous genetic and molecular complexity of human cancer. However, the rate at which this knowledge is being translated into patient care is too slow. To this end, we have designed and implemented a new translational platform, 'The Co-Clinical Trial Project', where data obtained in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of human cancer treated with protocols identical to those of ongoing clinical trials or with therapies already established in patients serve to rapidly: (i) stratify patients in terms of response and resistance on the basis of genetic and molecular criteria; (ii) identify mechanisms responsible for tumor resistance; and (iii) evaluate the effectiveness of drug combinations to overcome such resistance based on mechanistic understanding.